


Red Dragon

by AraneaHighwind



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-02-27 15:23:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13251066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AraneaHighwind/pseuds/AraneaHighwind
Summary: Aranea is a dragoon, after all.  Her loyalty to the Empire comes into question and when the time comes, will her draconic heritage come to light?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1-11-18: update. Tags are changed because this turned Highspecs. I anticipated this, but wasn’t sure where I’d have room to place that relationship in. Please note: this work is NSFW and also portrays graphic sex scenes.
> 
> Yeah, this takes all sorts of liberties, but I feel that Aranea as a dragoon is probably the most under-stated Dragoon in any final fantasy series. So I borrowed a few lore pieces from other series to produce her coming of age as an actual dragoon during the events of Final Fantasy XV. Some of the story takes place via RPG with Final Fantasy XV Community of Facebook. If interested, send me a message and if we have a character available, you're more than welcome to join, share art, share stories, and maybe even RP a little for inspiration. Others come from my Aranea Tumblr Blog: http://tinyurl.com/ahighwind

Aranea Highwind, Commodore of the 87th Airborne division of the Imperial forces, decided to spend the New Year in Lestallum. Things had taken a decidedly dark turn with the Empire and she and her men needed a break. As her red airship landed outside of the city, far enough to not cause alarm and close enough to easily make it into the city, Aranea was lost in thought.

She had joined the Imperial army in her 20's. Quickly recognized for her strength and unique prowess in battle, she had been raised to the position of Commodore and had been given men to help her complete her many tasks for the Empire of Nifleheim. She had very little memory of her parents, her family or of her home town of Deist. That town had vanished long ago at the Empire's hands and Aranea couldn't remember a time when she wasn't raised by her Imperial family. Her only memento of her past was the red stone set in a necklace that she wore around her neck. She had always had this stone and now she fingered it absently. The stone was a dark, blood red color and to the casual passerby it just looked like an ordinary garnet with a mysterious emblem. She had been a child when both her parents died at the hands of the Chancellor of Nifleheim and she assumed that this was when her home town was also lost. The one memory she had was of her father handing her this stone and telling her to keep it with her always. She had hidden it in her pocket and had run, only to be picked up by Imperial troops just a few miles from her burning home town in the deep mountains.

As a young woman, her skill in battle was quickly recognized as her talent far surpassed even the boys of her age. She was easily the strongest fighter with a lance and her talent for battle in mid-air had come to her naturally without a formal teacher telling her what was and wasn't possible. Quickly known among her peers, she was often ostracized. Chancellor Izunia was the first to know her for what she was, but he only alluded to her talents as being of a bloodline so ancient that it hailed from the time when Eos was comprised of the most primal of beings before even the Astrals had become truly involved with the people of the land.

How she had grown to distrust the Chancellor. These days his mind was darkness and destruction as the Empire sought out conquest and burned the lands in its wake. In her heart she knew that what the Empire was doing was wrong- and sending she and her men to capture innocents to turn them into demons was the last straw.

She knew exactly what happened when a man or a woman was turned into a demon at the hands of Verstael and his minions. The soul of the human was burned by the infusion of demonic blood taken from minor demons. Verstael had synthesized demon's blood into a serum that he used liberally in his experiments. Aranea remembered the ear-shattering screams that came from the lab. She had watched bodies be ripped apart as the demonic blood ravaged its human host, turning it into something unnaturally dark.

But those thoughts were not for tonight. Tonight was a night of celebration for herself and her men; a well deserved rest from their nightmarish toils. She had already discussed the possibility of leaving the Empire with her most trusted second in command, Biggs and Wedge. They had agreed the time was close and that the men were disheartened and frightened at the most recent series of tasks assigned to their unit.

Her men quickly dissipated into the streets of Lestallum, heading to the marketplace and beyond to the loud, raucous music playing in the square. Many went to the different restaurants to enjoy a good meal and good company that could be found among the female plant workers that lived there. She, however, went to the hotel. She had been surprised to run into a man she knew by sight- Gladiolus Amicita. He was hard to mistake in a crowd, being a large man and the sworn shield of the King-to-be of Lucis. Not long after she had spotted him, she spotted the Prince himself... and surprisingly, the young woman who was meant to be his bride. What they were doing in Lestallum was a mystery to her, but in Lestallum, nobody asked and nobody cared who you were or where you were headed.

Just for this time, Aranea let bygones be bygones and joined them in conversation. Not surprisingly, they knew who she was. And when it was evident that she meant them no harm, had turned casual conversation into a night of drinking and laughing. After she let her guard down, Aranea realized she hadn't felt this ... free in a long time. Perhaps that's the reason she didn't turn them in or contact the Empire immediately.

Biggs and Wedge had both stared openly at the party when they arrived at the hotel, but taking their lead as always from Lady A, they had simply ignored who was present and what their significance to the Empire was... until Aranea received word via Imperial communication that the Chancellor knew the Prince and his retinue were in Lestallum. She did the best thing she could for the Prince by informing Gladio that the Chancellor was on his way and had ordered the Imperial troops, hers included, to converge on Lestallum to capture the Prince.

She reluctantly settled upon taking her men with her to Ravatogh to feign looking for the Lucian royal ensemble. Of course she wasn't going to be obviously defying the Empire by carousing with the enemy in celebration of the new year.

It was upon returning to Lestallum to rendezvous with the Imperial forces that her suspicions were realized. The Chancellor knew something was up. She didn't want to give him credit for knowing things that should have been secret, but someone had told. And now she and her men were in trouble.

The red airship landed directly in front of the city and as the drop gate opened, Chancellor Izunia was waiting for her. He had the usual casual smile upon his face, but his eyes spoke volumes of hatred and distrust.

"Commodore Aranea... I trust your journey here was a good one? I heard you were in Ravatogh looking for the Prince of Lucis and his retinue." Ardyn's voice was cold and slithered like a snake. He came up next to her and deliberately towered over her, trying to intimidate with size.

Aranea replied casually, knowing already that the secret was out.. somehow. "The trip was fine. I heard that the Prince was sighted here in Lestallum?"

Ardyn stepped close to her side and grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip, "Oh I am aware that you knew they were here. The Emperor wishes to have words with you directly. You are to take your men to Gralea immediately. Oh, and just to ensure you don't take any detours, I will be traveling with you."

Aranea kept her face as neutral as possible, only stealing a quick glance at Biggs and Wedge, who both looked scared to death. Without another word, she and her men set forth to the Imperial capital. It was hard to ignore the icy feeling in her chest as fear tried desperately to take hold of her. She brought her hand up to the garnet stone and as usual it brought her a sense of calm and comfort.


	2. Midgardsormr

The red airship landed in Gralea several hours later along with the rest of the fleet. Aranea held her head high as she walked alongside the Chancellor. Upon arriving there were troops of Magitek soldiers waiting. They surrounded her men who stood with their hands raised. Aranea glanced in their direction, noting that so many of them appeared to be utterly confused. Some of them looked in her direction, some of them eyed the Magitek troops and all of them were frightened.

Biggs and Wedge tried to follow her and the Chancellor and were turned back at gunpoint. Ardyn grabbed her arm again in a vice-like grip. Aranea held her head high as she was towed along to a room inside Zegnautus Keep, one that was reserved for captives that she and her men brought back of late.

"I'll be back," Ardyn smirked, "Oh, and don't worry about your men, you will see a few of them again shortly."

"You'd better keep your hands off of them, you bastard!" Aranea glared at Ardyn with hate-filled eyes. He stood by the door and looked down at her. Slowly his hand came up. Reflexively Aranea pulled her head back. Ardyn cradled her chin in his hand

"Such spirit. Your parents had it too, you know. I should have gotten rid of you along with the rest of your kind..." He paused as he saw momentary confusion cross her face, "Oh that's right, you really don't know that much about your heritage do you? You are the last of a line of people, sacred to the dragon-kin of Eos of long ago. For centuries before the Astrals even showed remote interest in the peoples of Eos, one of the great serpents took to your people who lived high in the mountains and worshipped his being. The great dragon's name was Midgardsormr and he blessed your people with the power to fight and conquer the lands in his name. He blessed them with might and magic. In the days of Solheim, however, the great wyrms were hunted to extinction out of fear and it was thought that the people of the dragon were long gone until I stumbled upon the last of you. It was in our best interest to rid this world of the remaining dragon-blooded, but I kept you around hoping you would some day awaken and become a force for the Empire. You can't possibly imagine how disappointed I really am, Aranea. And now to find out our Commodore, whom we so carefully raised and trained, has turned against the Empire."

Aranea was momentarily stunned as she listened and she backed away from the door. Ardyn's face grew angry and he pulled his hand back and backhanded her hard across the face. Aranea tumbled to the ground, momentarily stunned. She rubbed her face where he had struck her. Ardyn smirked at her as he turned to walk out the door.

"The Emperor is displeased. We have decided to give some of your men to Verstael. Thanks to your training, they are a hearty lot, don't you agree?"

"I said you had better keep your hands off them!" Aranea repeated, but some of the bite had gone out of her voice. The door closed, leaving her to her thoughts.

It seemed like hours later when the door opened again and Ardyn once again entered to escort her. She was worried about her men. She had hand-selected each one of them for their bravery and skill in combat, staunchly refusing magitek troops and opting for non-magitek soldiers. Her breath sped up as she realized they were headed to the main demon laboratory.

Ardyn roughly pushed her into an observation room and locked the door to keep her from escaping. Lights came on and Aranea looked on in horror as she saw 20 of her men strapped to tables with tubes and needles pushed into their bodies that were hooked up to large vats of demon blood. Even now she could hear the men panicking.

"No!" She screamed and beat on the door with her fists. "You leave them be!"

The vats began to empty and the men began to scream. Aranea stopped beating on the door and turned to the window. This was all her fault. They should have gone into hiding much, much sooner. She couldn't blame Noctis and his retinue; they had just happened to be in Lestallum. She stood at the window and watched. She owed that to the men who were dying as the demon's blood was pumped into their still-living bodies. One of them was like a brother to Biggs and Wedge. Would those two ever forgive her? The man writhed in pain as black blood was pushed through hoses into needles and into his bloodstream. He screamed finally. Hurried breaths followed by increasingly inhuman screaming. The man's eyes bled black and turned bloody red until they burst. His arms ripped and tore themselves open to emit long, bony spikes.

Over the next half hour, the screams faded away and gave way to demonic growls and howling as the once-human bodies became disfigured into monsters. And the whole while, Aranea watched in desperate, angry silence.

The demons were rolled away on their tables and locked up Astrals knew where and the door opened. Verstael appeared with a half dozen magitek infantry at his side.

"Your turn, My Lady Commodore."

Aranea said nothing but followed them into the next room. She glared at Verstael in icy silence, determined to not give him or that asshole Chancellor the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Her heart beat rapidly, feeling like it was trying to get out of her chest as she was strapped in and tubes were inserted into her arms. The large vat of dark demon's blood began to empty and she felt a strong burning sensation.

Aranea screamed, a high-pitched unholy sound. And at that moment, the blood-red garnet around her neck burst into dark red flames, seeming to consume her. The vat shattered and fire emanated from her being. Aranea opened her eyes and they had turned a burnished yellow. She stood as the straps melted away and screamed in rage. A loud voice crackled in her head in a language she did not know but could understand.

"What is going on?!" Verstael stared at the instruments on the panel and finally turned tail and ran as the fire raged.

Ardyn looked on passively from the observation room as the flames took on the shape of a great dragon. Aranea was no longer herself. He left the room quietly as the flames grew higher.

\--

The sun had long since set when Aranea awoke with a headache. The area around her was charred to ruins. She couldn't remember how it had happened. She only remembered the screams of her men as they were transformed into demons. But the lab was destroyed and the holding room next door had been burned to cinders, including the cages that held the demons her men had become. Aranea sobbed quietly.

"Lady A!" Biggs called out as he came running, Wedge at his side. "Are you alright Lady A?"

"Biggs... Wedge. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Never mind that, Lady A, we need to get out of here." Wedge said as he reached out his hand to help her stand. She stood slowly.

"And the rest of the men?"

"There's only about 30 of us that got out. They went to claim the airship. But we have to go now!"

Aranea nodded, her memory feeling foggy. In her mind's eye a flash of a great red dragon flickered. She opened her eyes and stood to follow her men outside. They would make their escape. And the Empire would get what was coming to them.

Biggs and Wedge helped Aranea as she stumbled through the rubble of the laboratory. Her head was pounding and her heart still felt like it wanted out of her chest. She breathed hard and was barely aware of what was going on around her. Biggs glanced down at her nervously and said something to Wedge that she didn't hear. They tried to help her hurry along faster.

Magitek troopers were closing in as the airship came into view. The engines were running and her men were nervously guarding the drop gate that stood open. Wordlessly they helped Aranea aboard and the red airship soared into the night.

"Biggs..." Aranea called softly as she lay in her bed on board the airship.

"Lady A..."

"What happened? I can't remember anything. The Chancellor... he said I was one of the dragon-blooded, do you know what that means?"

"I'd put no stock in anything that mad man says, Lady A," Biggs put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, "We're headed for Old Lestallum to lay low for a while. Rumor has it that is where Prince Noctis and his retinue headed after Lestallum. We could use an ally right about now I think."

Aranea nodded. It would be better to be among friends, if that's what they could call her. She, the dragon-blooded Commodore of the Nifleheim empire; she who had willingly aided in the capture of hundreds of innocents to bring them to their ultimate ruin.

Biggs left her alone and closed the door. Aranea slowly undressed. Everything hurt. She had cuts on her body that she didn't remember receiving and her muscles were exhausted. She lay down in her bed and fell asleep. Biggs and Wedge would get them safely to Old Lestallum. They would stay if they detected there was no danger from the Empire. She left it to her men to get them out of Gralea, knowing if they needed her, they would come rouse her.

Biggs and Wedge alternated between flying the airship and watching outside her door, listening for if she woke and needed anything. Both had seen the terrible flames that engulfed the laboratory. They had escaped their captors several buildings over and were just outside when the lab erupted into flames. And in the center of those flames had been Aranea, fire dancing around her in the shape of a winged, roaring dragon.


	3. Old Lestallum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea arrives in Old Lestallum. She finds no welcome here at first until the Prince and his retinue come to investigate.

The light of false dawn illuminated the streets. There was still about 40 minutes before the sun would rise when the red airship landed on the border of the small town of Old Lestallum. People were still asleep and the few that were awake hurried inside and shut the door behind them. The drop gate opened and Biggs and Wedge supported an exhausted Aranea as she exited the airship.

"It's not much further, Lady A. I just hope the Prince knows what to do. I hope you don't mind us bringing you here. We figured those Lucians might be the best resource since we can't go home." There was a slight edge of sadness in Wedge's voice as he referred to home far away.

Aranea nodded. The weather here was significantly warmer. This wasn't something that usually bothered her in the past. Everything hurt and she panted softly as they made their way to the hotel. Biggs looked in the skies nervously. They had left their airship near a thicket of trees, but nonetheless it was easy to spot from the road and he feared the Empire was still trailing after them. He looked over at Aranea... so it was true. He wasn't afraid of her exactly. His father had told him about the dragon-blooded; he had studied the history of the ancient race of people known in their time as the dragon-kin at his father's insistence. Now he knew why.

As they approached the hotel, the clerk's window closed with a crisp, hurried sound.

"How dare they?" Wedge stared in disbelief.

"Can you blame them Wedge? We aren't exactly known as the type of house guest you invite willingly into your home." Aranea was so tired. Her body was exhausted from her ordeal in Gralea and she hadn't slept since she had left the Imperial capital with what was left of her company. 12 airships had caught up to them in pursuit after they fled Gralea before they were even close to the border of Nifleheim. They had fired upon the red airship and Aranea had gone out each time to single-handedly take down their pursuit. She was the only one capable of mid-air combat. The last ship had nearly cost her life. One of the Magitek troops had caught a lucky break, wounding her as she had left the disabled Imperial cruiser trying to get back to her own airship. The deep wound in her side was hastily wrapped tight. They had run out of Imperial curatives a few weeks back.

"How are we going to find those Lucian royals?" Wedge asked aloud. As if in answer, one of the hotel room doors opened and four men walked out together. The first was a tall, heavy set man judging by his shadow. When they came into the light of a street lamp, his features were illuminated. It was Gladio, followed very closely by Noctis, Ignis, and Prompto.

"Well well, what have we got here? An Imperial rat? We heard what you've been up to before Lestallum, Aranea. If you've come here thinking to take more citizens to Gralea..." Gladio's eyes were angry. They had heard from Cor that Aranea and her men were capturing Lucian civilians and transporting them to Nifleheim for Verstael's nasty demon experiments. His massive sword appeared in a flash of crystalline light as he approached the three in the street. Aranea pushed her men to the side and stumbled, nearly falling to her knees. She painfully stumbled a second time as Gladio approached and prepared to take a heavy swing at her.

"Gladio, wait!" Ignis was right next to the King's Shield, "Something is amiss here..."

Aranea staggered and fell forward. Ignis reached out and caught her slight form before she hit the ground. As he did, he observed the bandage around her middle. Aranea smiled weakly up at the Advisor, "Hey handsome... I kinda ran into some trouble up north. Didn't know where else to go. I might have gotten a little careless..."

Aranea stiffened in his arms as the voice of the dragon she had heard before spoke inside her head. A frightful, loud voice intoned in a language she did not recognize, but could understand. She looked up at Ignis, her grey eyes fearful and they flickered into the eyes of a dragon. Ignis looked down at her burnished, gold eyes with the pupils slitted like the eyes of a dragon and almost dropped her.

"Dragon-kin?" he whispered almost in awe. He touched the bandage around her middle and noticed it was soaked through. Much longer and she would succumb to her wounds. Ignis looked at the others. Lucis had a long-standing law to kill any dragon-kin on sight. Long ago, a dragoon-knight had come to Insomnia and had bonded with the Queen. Time progressed and he lost his fight with the dragon that possessed his weapon and killed the Queen. The King in his rage subdued the dragoon-knight with the power of the crystal and killed him with his katana, removing his head before going into isolation over the loss of his beloved.

"Yes, sir," Biggs came forward, leery of Gladio's giant sword. "Please, let me explain. Lady A was wounded fighting off Imperial cruisers for the last 39 hours straight."

He glanced at Gladio nervously. Ignis looked over at Gladio and nodded. Gladio let the sword vanish into crystalline light. "If you're sure, Iggy. I don't trust them."

"Nor do I, Gladio. But something happened to the Commodore. If she were here with mal intent, we'd have been surrounded by her troops. She wouldn't come wandering into town with just these two and wounded like she is." Ignis said. Aranea looked up at him and rested her head against his chest, completely spent. Ignis picked up her slight form in his arms and looked at Biggs and Wedge, motioning for them to follow.

"Uh, Iggy? Is this really a good idea?" Noctis asked hesitantly as he turned toward the hotel.

"Actually, no it's not, Noct. But if we leave her standing in the streets she will likely die. And if nothing else, we can't just stand idly by and watch as probably the last of the dragon-kin passes away in the street." Ignis noted. He pushed the thoughts in his mind to the back. He should have let Gladio kill her...

"Dragon-kin?" Prompto looked nervously at Aranea, who leaned against Ignis' chest. Prompto thought this was like carrying an injured coeurl in your arms; a very dangerous to do.

Ignis easily carried Aranea into their hotel room and laid her on one of the beds. He unwrapped the wound carefully, cutting the old bandage off. It was still a deep cut and blood had dried into a heavy, messy scab that was likely to split open if she moved too much. He broke a potion over the top of it and watched the wound knit completely shut and gradually vanish into a barely visible scar. Aranea was already asleep, her eyes closed and her breath measured and slow. It would be far too easy to eliminate a high-ranking Imperial official. Ignis knew that was what Gladio had in mind. On any day, Ignis would likely agree but seeing her here and vulnerable changed his mind. She was completely done for, physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. He looked over at Biggs and Wedge.

"Why are you here? What happened that you would come to your sworn enemy for assistance? You know it would be all to easy for us to eliminate her, so why come to us now?"

Over the next hour, Biggs and Wedge explained the events in Gralea that had led to their flight from the Empire. Ignis and the others listened intently. Gladio left and quietly arranged to take the hotel room next door as well, explaining to the nervous hotel manager that he would ensure that the Imperials would be guarded and would cause no harm. As he came back into the hotel room, the conversation topic had changed.

"Dragon-kin?" Ignis again asked, this time to Biggs and Wedge.

"Yes sir." Biggs glanced over at Wedge then began explaining. "When Lady A was just a little girl, the Empire had located her small village in the far north of Nifleheim on the outskirts of what used to be Solheim. They were high in the mountains away from civilization. At the time the Empire attacked the village with the intent of destroying the last of the dragon-blooded. They had formed small sects and had gone into hiding. My father found Lady A trying to make her way down the mountain alone. He wanted to get her away from the Empire, but the Chancellor caught up with his men and insisted on taking her to Gralea. She was barely 6 years old when this happened. Since he couldn't get her away from the Empire, he decided to watch over her instead. And he asked me to do the same. I've been by her side with Wedge since we were teenagers, but I didn't know why she was the way she is until what happened in Gralea. She became something else when that lab was destroyed."

"I see..." Ignis, Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio looked at Aranea with a sense of awe. "Why don't you two go into the hotel room next door and take some rest?"

Biggs and Wedge nodded, looking one last time at Aranea as she slept, "Thank you. We don't have anyone else to turn to now. Yes, we did a lot of horrible things for the Empire. We didn't have a choice in the matter seeing as how we couldn't leave. The Chancellor kept our families hostage and now we don't know if they're alive, dead, or if they've been turned into demons. And we paid the price heavily for insubordination to the Empire. She paid the highest price of all."

Biggs and Wedge excused themselves to rest next door. Noctis and Prompto looked at Ignis.

"You think she's gonna be ok?" Noctis asked.

"She has got a long road ahead," Ignis answered. "While the Empire apparently knew something of the dragon-kin, they don't know much more than what was written of them in history. Lucis barely has anything about this ancient race of people. But there are records of a dragon-kin's awakening, which appears to have been triggered for her by the events in Gralea." Ignis deliberately left out the mention of his bonding with the Queen, subsequent madness, and his execution by the King.

Ignis looked down at Aranea again and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face as she slept. He could hardly believe his eyes and yet he had seen it for himself. They still had to see Noctis safely to Altissia, but the something in him insisted on ensuring that Aranea was alive and well before leaving her side. Noctis and Prompto went across the street to grab breakfast for all of them while Gladio posted outside the hotel rooms as he promised the manager to keep an eye on the Nifs.


	4. Haunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea's nightmares deepen as she prepares to go her separate way on a journey she had never foreseen.

Aranea fitfully tossed and turned in her sleep. Her dreams were a nightmarish landscape of brimstone and volcanic ash with rivers of lava amid snowy fields and mountains in the farthest northern region of the world. A statue of a large dragon etched out of molten obsidian stood tall against a round arena of lava rocks. And in its center stood a knight wearing armor that was tinged red but so dark that it appeared as a burnished black color. In his right hand he held a dragoon lance of legend, the Gae-bolg. It was a lance of incredible power that ancient lore said sang like a dragon when it struck the earth, emitting searing flames in a radius of 30 feet around it. Held in the hand out of combat it appeared a dark purple hue with red flames embossed on the blades. In battle, it glowed with the light of the heavens until it sang and devastating fire was emitted. Aranea could see the helmet of the dragoon warrior covered his eyes and rose on either side with spikes tipped with gold and gold chasing across the lines of the helmet that made it appear like a dragon's head. This same theme continued throughout the warrior's light suit of armor.

"Come home, dragon-kin." The warrior said in a voice that rang throughout the firelands like a raging furnace. "Come and face me; claim what is your birthright and carry the power of the dragon-kin or perish in the attempt and let the dragon-kin be lost to the ages of Eos. Such is the destiny of the dragoon-knights of the red dragonflight."

Aranea startled awake, the voice ringing in her mind. She sat up sharply, holding her head as the voice and the vision faded from her mind. She felt as though she was burning up, like her own body was aflame and her eyes glowed golden in the pale moonlight that danced in through the window. Overhead the full moon watched over Old Lestallum with her serene, cold gaze.

"Aranea?" Ignis sat up in the chair next to the bed. The advisor moved his glasses and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before adjusting his glasses and leaning forward. His hair had started to fall out of place during his sleep and a few stray strands sank down his forehead as he reached out for her. "Are you alright?"

Aranea turned and grabbed a hold of Ignis, desperate for something real to touch and hold until the lingering grasp of the dream faded from her sleep-fogged mind. She trembled in Ignis' arms and he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. He surprised himself by doing this, finding more than a passing interest in her current situation.

"The Awakening continues." He held her close as she trembled.

"How do you know so much? Even the Empire doesn't have much knowledge of the dragon-blooded." Aranea pulled away slightly and looked up, again captivated by his green eyes. His gaze softened as she looked up.

"The Lucians document everything they study and encounter very carefully. Most of that documentation was kept in the northern library of the Citadel before it was destroyed. But there is a group of Lucians that serve the royal house who keep the documentation in a digital format in a different city altogether. This city remains unknown to this day to all but a few. From this group the Advisor to the King is always chosen. My family has been bound to this duty for a long time now. In times long ago, around the time of the 20th Lucian monarch, it is said that one who claimed to be dragon-kin entered the city of Insomnia to seek sanctuary from invading forces. His name was lost to time, but the information he gave to the royal scribes was preserved to this day. It is those accounts that I have been researching to find a way to help you, Commodore." Ignis continued to hold the shaking Aranea in his arms. "Would you like some water?" He began to get up.

"No.. please stay." Aranea held his shirt lapel tighter. "And I'm not a Commodore any more, remember?"

Ignis looked down at her silvery hair and again brushed a stray lock away from her face. "I apologize."

"I lied," Aranea said suddenly. Ignis waited for her to continue, "I lied when I said I didn't understand. I do understand what the voice is saying in my dreams. Sometimes I hear it when I'm awake, but it gives me a headache. The voice says 'come home'. I think I am supposed to journey north past Nifleheim and into the frozen mountains of the north."

"In the frozen mountains to the far north is a volcanic land of molten flame," Ignis continued. "And it is in this land that the dragon-kin shall come to claim their birthright."

Aranea looked up at Ignis. Was there anything he couldn't find out? "Yes."

"Aranea," he continued and his voice softened, "I cannot go with you on this journey. You must go alone. Any who are not dragon-kin would be destroyed upon entering the ring of fire. I am sorry. And the challenge there against the dragoon-knight who waits in eternity is said to be an extremely difficult challenge. It is one that not all who enter will return from."

"I know, handsome." Aranea looked up at the advisor again. "Please. Grant that I can stay the night?" In her eyes was an undisguised longing. She couldn't describe how she had come to feel this way. Perhaps it was just raw passion. Perhaps it was her own need for companionship. But she knew she didn't want to be alone and she knew that she wanted Ignis to be the one to stay with her.

"This... isn't appropriate." Ignis began, but he surrendered as he felt her shuddering against him. Ignis looked down as she buried her face against him. She was scared and very vulnerable. It was something he never expected out of the High Commodore of the Nifleheim Empire. Here in a dark hotel room in Lestallum, her silver hair illuminated by the light of the moon, Aranea Highwind captivated the young advisor as no other had before. He had never expected himself to be so distracted from his duty to Noctis. This might be the last time he saw her. They were to leave for Cape Caem to look for Noctis' father's boat in the morning.

Ignis relented, taking off his shoes and lying in the bed next to Aranea. She rested against his chest with his arms around her and fell into a dreamless sleep, devoid of the relentless haunting of the dragon's call. Ignis lay awake for some time before surrendering to the night and the warmth of the woman beside him.

\---

When morning arrived, Aranea woke when she felt Ignis stir next to her. He sat up and his hair was completely tousled with sleep. He had his back turned to her as he unbuttoned the shirt he had fallen asleep in. Aranea watched as he removed the shirt to change. He had a heavily muscled structure for an Advisor and the early morning sunrise emphasized his musculature by casting shadows every time he moved.

Aranea couldn't help herself. She sat up and held him around the shoulders, pressing herself against his back. Ignis looked around at her. He had taken his glasses off and had set them on the nightstand. He reached up and brushed a strand of gray hair out of her face.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.

"Better, thanks to you." She responded with a ready smile. She felt so at ease around him; it felt almost like home in ways the Empire had never felt like home.

He untangled himself from her and looked her square in the eyes, "The fight you have ahead will be tough. Just remember that objects fall at the same rate of speed." He kissed her gently and stood up to get ready for the day. He was leaving for Cape Caem.

Aranea smiled softly and got up as well. "Hey Ignis?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything. I wouldn't have survived without you." Aranea continued when he didn't respond immediately, "Why did you help me? You had no reason to trust me either. You had every reason to let the King's shield do his job and cut me down in the streets, but you waited and listened to what happened. Why did you stop Gladio?"

Ignis came back to the bed, tucking a new shirt into his pants, "You would have never come to us as an enemy looking for help. And I must admit; I am intrigued by you."

Ignis smiled and kissed her on the forehead, "Be careful where you are going."

"You too, handsome. Thanks."

"You are most welcome."

Ignis stepped out the door and headed for the Regalia, leaving Aranea alone to prepare for her trip. Aranea felt his absence immediately.

"I hope I get to see you again... stay in one piece. And if you ever need me, I'll be there. But first, I have a challenge to win." Aranea put on her armor and picked up her helmet and left the hotel. She met up with Biggs and Wedge in the street. They both looked at her, but said nothing. Aranea headed to the airship, unaware of the smile on her face.


	5. The One Who Waits in Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea undergoes the trial of the Crimson-Dragoon for many reasons. She knows this power will be needed for her to fulfill her duty very soon.

Aranea stood at the edge of the Ring of Fire. In its center was the statue of a great dragon, carved of obsidian. It stood tall against the stark landscape of charred earth surrounded by high walls. She had crossed the chasms of fire and entered the heart of the Ring via a short tunnel into this arena. The heat rose all around her from the burning fires not far beneath the land upon which she stood. Aranea thought idly this must be what the home of Ifrit was like. Only Ifrit was not welcome here. Here there existed a primal being from the dawn of time before the Astrals had come into contact with men. Here there existed the spirit of the Great Wyrm Midgardsormr. This was the location of the trial for any who would become the Crimson Dragoon- a title lost in time through the ages. The title was granted to the favored dragoon-knight of whom only one existed at any point in time.

The lands here had been lost to time, the small town of Deist lost to the Empire most recently. Beyond that were other homesteads and towns that were burned to the ground. Temples to the Dragon-kin were razed to the earth and not much more than a weathered, beaten statue remained to show the way to the Trial Grounds. Aranea had hurried through the land. She was not anxious to face off against the dragoon-knight who waited for her. Instead she was pressed by a sense of urgency to return to Prince Noctis before they left for Altissia.

Aranea kept it firmly in her thoughts what had transpired the night she left. She had told Prince Noctis of the plans the Empire had to attack during the summoning ritual of Leviathan. She had told of the Chancellor's ambition to steal the Ring of the Lucii and to kill anyone he needed to obtain it, including the Oracle. Noctis and his retinue had saved her life in Old Lestallum after she had been forced to flee the Empire. And now her time had come to repay the favor: she was to watch over the Oracle and ensure that she escaped Altissia unharmed.

Aranea knew that to do this, she would need to complete the trial of the Crimson Dragoon and gain the power that was hers by birthright if she hoped to face off against the Chancellor himself. She had seen only a portion of his terrible power and knew he held himself in check, rarely exhibiting his true power. She had never seen him unleash himself against an enemy. Confident that the power of the Crimson Dragoon would be her only means of success in Altissia, she took a deep breath and prepared to enter the ring. Noctis had given her one final motivation- the rank of Commodore of Lucis and a promise to grant refuge to her and her men when his kingdom was restored. She kept her visor up as she stepped forward.

At the center of the ring stood a single knight wearing armor so dark red in color that it appeared black. Gold chasing around the armor and the helmet along with spikes and horns rising off the helmet gave the knight the appearance of a dragon. In his fist he grasped the Gae-bolg, a lance of legend and terrible power. She stepped forward and the knight turned his attention to her.

"Who comes to enter the trial of the Crimson Dragoon?"

"I am Aranea Highwind, Commodore of the Kingdom of Lucis. I claim the right to enter the trial as last of the dragon-kin," she intoned formally.

The dragoon-knight studied her from behind the visor. There were no holes in the front for his eyes, and instead a pair of burning crimson eyes appeared on the armor. The knight lowered Gae-bolg to face her, "Come Challenger, and let us see if you are worthy to carry forth the power of the dragon-kin as last of our kind."

Aranea lowered her visor and steeled herself for an attack. The dragoon rushed her quickly, crossing the floor of the arena in mere seconds, reaching out with Gae-bolg in a strong thrust aimed at her middle. She quickly blocked the thrust with her magitek-enhanced lance and sparks shot from the collision. She parried and returned the thrust with one of her own, which glanced harmlessly off the dragoon-knight.

Aranea leaped into the air, prepared to take this fight to the skies, but when she looked down, her target was gone. Realizing her error too late, Aranea landed and a split second later the dragoon-knight pierced the earth with Gae-bolg. It let out a loud dragon's scream as it hit the earth and sent fire in a wide radius. Aranea barely backed away in time to avoid being severely burned. She let her Imperial cape fall to the ground where it was immediately consumed by flame.

The dragoon-knight relentlessly attacked again, driving a sharp double thrust into her middle. Aranea blocked the first but not the second and cursed loudly as Gae-bolg cut into her left side. The wound cauterized almost immediately with the heat being emitted by Gae-bolg, but still hurt. She leaped backwards and then jumped high into the sky, preparing to come down in a spinning maelstrom.

Again her quarry was gone and she landed, then immediately leaped backward to dodge what she knew was coming. Another dragon-fire dive and another wide radius of the arena was aflame. Aranea cursed again. How was she supposed to fight a foe that was her superior in the sky? Ignis' words came back to her ~ Just remember that objects fall at the same rate of speed.~

She reverted to ground attacks and very short drives forward with her lance, pushing at the dragoon-knight before her with everything that she had. She landed several strikes in a row this way, managing to drive her lance through his defenses. It took her more than a half an hour of constant attacks on the ground and she was afraid she was going to run out of energy to continue. Finally, the dragoon-knight took to the skies and Aranea followed. This way she was able to see her opponent the entire time and block, dodge, and parry in mid-air. When he began his descent to earth, she followed after, landing squarely against her opponent with her magitek lance. Red sparks flew in all directions as she knocked her opponent to the ground.

She pressed her advantage, but the dragoon-knight recovered quickly and jabbed forward, catching her off guard. Gae-bolg drove through her middle and she barely drew her lance back to deflect the blow to the left side. She sank to one knee and the dragoon took to the air. Aranea knew what was next. She painfully forced herself to follow, taking to the skies behind the Crimson-Dragoon. Dragon-fire dive lit the 30 yards below her in dragon's flame. She came down second, choosing to deal with the heat of the fire. Her lance struck the dragoon square in the chest and sent him reeling again.

Aranea screamed and her eyes glowed the burnished bronze of a dragon as the flames surrounded her. She steadied herself and drove forward hard, smashing her lance against the helmet of the Crimson-Dragoon. The helmet split open and she stared at the face of an older man with grey hair and eyes that glowed a burnished-bronze like her own.

"The trial is complete." The dragoon-knight said quietly, "And the power of Midgardsormr is yours to wield." The knight held Gae-bolg out to Aranea. She accepted the lance and as she did so, the dragon's eye around her neck blazed forth and consumed her form with fire. When the flames died, her Imperial armor was gone, replaced with the burnished, deep-red armor of a dragoon. The armor was so deep-red that it appeared black with silver chasing along the edges and the helmet that gave her the appearance of a dragon herself. Horns rose out of the helmet and though there were no holes in the helmet for her to see, she could see the landscape clearer than ever and the glowing red eyes of Midgardsormr appeared on the faceplate of her helmet.

The dragoon in front of her reached out and grabbed her hand in a vice-like grip that seared with fire. Aranea inhaled sharply behind the helmet as images flickered in front of her. Altissia. Lunafreya wielding the Trident of the Oracle and Leviathan rising out of the water. She saw Noctis fighting Leviathan. The skies above were dotted with Imperial airships attacking. Then on the ground, she saw the Chancellor's ship land and Ardyn headed for the Oracle. She gasped as the Oracle slumped over, stabbed by the Chancellor.

"No..." Aranea shook her head in disbelief as the image changed. Ardyn Izunia's face twisted into a lantern-eyed demon and black blood dripped from his eyes and his very pores of his face. He summoned a host of weapons- the ones Aranea recognized belonging to the King of Lucis and the King alone. She watched in horror as he flung the weapons forward at someone who had arrived at the altar. Was that Ignis?

"What you are seeing is what will come to pass, Dragoon-Knight. The darkness is racing through the lands and cannot easily be stopped without much sacrifice by the few. You, who would stand in protection of the Oracle from this day- will you fight the darkness incarnate?"

Aranea saw herself now at the Throne of the Tidemother, standing between the Chancellor and the Oracle. Gae-bolg blazed with a brilliant white light. It created arcs of fire in its wake as she swung forward and engaged the Chancellor in battle. The Chancellor stepped back and summoned the armiger, red and glowing menacingly, "I should have killed you along with your kind..." The vision cut off. Aranea fell to her knees in front of the dragoon she had fought.

"I... I will fight the darkness incarnate on behalf of the red dragonflight. I shall help see this madness come to an end for her sake. And for the sake of the light." Aranea couldn't explain the feelings she had for Luna. But she felt a sense of jealous guardianship over the young girl, like a dragon guarding a treasure.

"Go forth, dragoon-knight. You carry the bloodline of the dragon-kin and the pride of the Crimson Dragonflight with you." The dragoon vanished into smoke that entered the dragonlance, Gae-bolg. The lance itself had been the champion she fought.

"I can't believe it..." Aranea looked down at the lance in her hands. Her own Imperial lance had vanished along with her own armor. She took to the skies with Gae-bolg and after maintaining her position in the air for a bit, came crashing down in the usual manner of her high jump. But as she struck the earth, Gae-bolg let out a piercing dragon scream. Flames erupted around her in a wide radius, turning the ground into an inferno that she no longer felt.

The sun had gone from the skies above. Sensing her time was running short, Aranea made her way to the entrance. She felt exhausted. As she finally relaxed the Gae-bolg in her hands the dragoon armor vanished along with Gae-bolg to be replaced by her own Imperial armor with the cape restored and her magitek-enhanced lance. She looked at her lance carefully. It no longer thrummed with magitek power. Instead it felt as though it pulsated like a breathing thing. Gae-bolg lay dormant, but just under the surface and the magitek lance was only there in appearance. Aranea smiled and removed her helm, noting that her vision of the world had returned to normal and was no longer as clear and tainted with a reddish tinge.

She turned at the edge of the arena and formally bowed to the obsidian dragon statue in its center before making her way toward the red airship waiting at the border of the firelands.


	6. Fate of the Dragon-kin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altissia- with a twist of dragoon. File this under "possibilities".

The boat skimmed along the tops of the waves as it sped from Cape Caem across the water toward Altissia, the beautiful city on the shores of Accordo and home of those who worshipped the Tidemother Leviathan. Aranea sat on the deck with the others, enjoying the sensation of the wind blowing in her hair. She looked at the others on the boat. Cid piloted the ship steadily across the sea. Ignis and Gladio were seated close by also enjoying the trip. Noctis and Prompto stood at first one rail and then the other rail, looking over the edge into the water and looking for all the world like a pair of carefree young men as they laughed and conversed.

Seated next to her on the boat was Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Oracle of Tenebrae. She and Luna had opted to wear hooded robes to disguise their presence for as long as possible. Noctis and his men would create enough of a stir during their arrival that she and Luna hoped to steal into the city unnoticed during the din of the arrival of the King of Lucis, a highly anticipated diplomatic visit now that word surrounding his demise had been debunked the world over.

The plan was simple. She and Luna would steal into the city and make their way for the Throne of the Tidemother. At a signal from Ignis, Luna would begin the ritual. But first, the Lucian party would have to report to the seat of government of Altissia and conduct the diplomatic end of their visit.

Aranea knew this plan was dangerous. As suspected when the boat landed, there was not an Imperial in sight along the docks. People flocked to gape at Prince Noctis and his retinue and as they did, she and Luna made a quick dash for the nearest alleys they could find. They began their journey through the streets, Aranea carrying her dragoon lance and the Trident of the Oracle in a rectangular box and keeping her hood over her head. As they passed through the side streets, she heard conversations repeatedly about Prince Noctis' arrival and questions about when the Oracle would arrive. Everyone was anxious to see her and the wedding that was apparently still planned here in Altissia.

They stopped in the alley closest to the Throne of the Tidemother and waited.

"Are you ok, Luna?"

"I'm alright. Just nervous."

"Those people would have a fit out there if they knew you were sneaking around the city and had arrived with your groom-to-be. Not to mention that you two had scandalously absconded together for the last several weeks and were expecting." Aranea smiled. People were so fickle. Her spirits were high. She was ready to face the Chancellor. Or as ready as she'd ever be. She just hoped that Prince Noctis was negotiating well and not giving too many indulgences to the city of Altissia. She had told him ahead of time that the Empire was using the Accordo Protectorate and its first secretary, Camelia Claustra to split the Prince's retinue and divide his forces on the ground. Noctis might not have a choice in the matter, but Aranea desperately hoped that there would be no major surprises.

\---

"So then, here are the terms of our agreement, Prince Noctis. Your men will help with the evacuation orders of the city and fight off the invading Imperial troops and then you may have your ritual. I hope you have the Oracle with you? She hasn't come to Altissia yet."

"The Oracle will be there when the time comes. And I agree to your terms." Noctis kept his face straight, hoping to not be pressed for any further conditions.

"Very well, then the ritual is to take place tomorrow." Noctis nodded in response, knowing all to well that the ritual was about to begin. Getting a jump on the Empire also meant bending the rules of the agreement. Noctis had confidence in Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis to uphold their end of the bargain. The Accordo Protectorate would just have to adjust... it was a huge gamble to say the least, but when the Empire attacked, the first secretary would have no choice but to proceed with the plan for the city.

Noctis left the first secretary's luxurious estate and met Ignis at the gate. "Everything went as we expected. Let's do this, Specs." He laid a fond hand on his Advisor's shoulder and Ignis nodded.

"Aranea, we are ready to begin. You have fifteen minutes before Lunafreya can begin the ritual." Ignis spoke into their private comms.

"Acknowledged."

Noctis headed for the Throne of the Tidemother and Ignis went to where he was planning to be stationed for the ritual. Chaos was about to reign along the coast. Gladio and Prompto were to begin their evacuation five minutes before the summoning to give those closest to the Throne of the Tidemother a chance to leave. Noctis was worried; so much could go wrong here. So much was being gambled on this move. And Aranea.. what if she wasn't able to protect Luna? Noctis shook his head and continued toward the Throne of the Tidemother. He had to trust her. He had his own part to play and it would take every ounce of his being to gain the support of Leviathan. He hurried faster.

\---

Fifteen minutes passed and it was now 1:00pm in the afternoon. Aranea opened the rectangular crate and handed the Trident of the Oracle to Luna and took her ordinary-looking magitek lance out of the case. They removed the robes and went directly to the Throne of the Tidemother. There were no Imperial ships visible in the skies overhead, but Aranea knew they were close. They only would have at most a fifteen minute jump on the Empire. It would have to be enough to summon Leviathan and get Lunafreya to safety as she had promised Noctis.

People recognized Luna as she stepped onto the Throne of the Tidemother and began to point. "It's Lunafreya! It's the Oracle!" Several cheers went up and people ran forward, but kept their distance out of respect as she moved to the end of the Throne and began to sing in a clear voice to summon Leviathan. Several Accordo Protectorate officials were buzzing about now, chattering away and sending messages quickly along their communication lines that the ritual was starting.

Aranea stood between the ramp leading to the Throne of the Tidemother and Lunafreya, deliberately positioning herself to keep the throngs from following her and to keep the area free. She nervously watched the skies. A loud screech was heard as Leviathan rose from the deep in response to the call of the Oracle. The people backed away in fear from the Throne and Aranea was relieved to see them fleeing the area as the Tidemother began speaking in the language of the Astrals directly to Lunafreya.

From Aranea's perspective at the foot of the Throne, things didn't seem to be going well. Leviathan hurled water bolts at Luna. Aranea thought about going up to the altar, but knew this was part of the ritual. She had to wait. Overhead, she saw Imperial drop ships arriving in the area. Out of the corner of her eye, Leviathan tried to consume the Oracle, but a brilliant flash of the Trident of the Oracle put her at bay. Aranea held herself in check as she spotted Noctis in another part of the city challenging Leviathan. And so the ritual began. Noctis' hands were full. Aranea kept her eyes above on the skies and on Lunafreya in front of her as she promised.

"C'mon Pretty Boy, do your thing..."

The Tidemother let out a screech and knocked Noctis to a nearby bridge that she had shattered. Luna moved to the edge of the altar, looking like she was going to help Noctis. That's when she saw it. Aranea readied herself as the Chancellor's drop ship landed directly in front of her. She grasped the lance lightly and lowered the visor on her Imperial helmet. She drew herself up and waited at the ready as the Chancellor exited his drop ship and it flew off.

"Well if it isn't Aranea Highwind, the last of the dragon-kin. I'm delighted you survived. I see that you have made some new friends."

"Alive and well, no thanks to you."

"I heard that Noct gave you the rank of Commodore of Lucis. An empty title for a barren wasteland that it is about to become. Step aside." Ardyn made to move past her.

Aranea lashed out with her lance and Ardyn backhanded her easily. Aranea stumbled. "You're not getting through, Ardyn." Her voice turned cold and steely as her resolve strengthened. She gripped her lance tightly and it burst into white light. The Gae-bolg burst into flame, eating away the visage of the Imperial armor and the dark-red burnished armor of the Crimson-Dragoon shone in the early afternoon sun. She leveled the lance at Ardyn and rushed him with a heavy thrust aimed directly at his head.

Ardyn deflected the blow with a sword and his face turned angry. "Well, it appears you finally awoke to what is yours. I've never seen that weapon before."

"You should have studied the history of the nations you destroyed a little more, then." Aranea shot back. She glared at Ardyn with bronze, slitted eyes and closed the visor. Midgardsormr's red-glowing eyes appeared on the visor's front. The vision of the dragon-kin allowed her to see through his normal appearance and instead she saw the demon-spawn. She rushed him again, jabbing at his face. The tip of the lance burned with unnatural heat as it sliced forward.

Furiously, Aranea drove Ardyn backward. She cursed loudly when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Imperial magitek troops landing on the stairs of the altar. She leapt into the air and Gae-bolg screamed defiance as she smashed into their center. The dragonfire dive lit the ground around her for several yards, stopping short of where Luna stood. The inferno caused the MT to explode. Aranea rushed back toward Ardyn, continuing her flurry of attacks to drive him backward.

She rushed past him and turned sharply. Gae-bolg again screamed as she used a chaos thrust at Ardyn's blindside. Ardyn stumbled and knew he was not going to be a match for her unless he unleashed his power. Aranea again put herself between the Oracle and Ardyn, unleashing a devastating series of attacks, heavy thrusts and cross cuts combined with upper-cuts to keep him moving backward.

Finally, infuriated at being slowed down, Ardyn unleashed his might and the armiger appeared around him. Aranea backed away half a step as the weapons flew at her. She spun the lance in a circular pattern, deflecting as many of the blades as she could. One of the blades cut into her right side and she stumbled as she was knocked backward.

"Lunafreya- remember our promise. It is time for you to leave!"

Luna looked over at Aranea, an agonized gaze as she turned back to the fight with Leviathan and saw Noctis lying unconscious on another destroyed piece of the city.

~Damn.. I knew she was going to stay!~ Aranea thought to herself. She again rushed Ardyn, pushing him backwards as best she could. She thrust forward sharply, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him backward finally. She took to the skies and Gae-bolg again screamed as she landed. Ardyn rolled away just in time to avoid a direct hit, but the inferno of the dragonfire dive caught him and the flames of the dragon burned away his visage, leaving the demonic, golden eyed monster in its wake.

"As you wish. I will deal with the Oracle after I've destroyed you and rid Eos of the dragon-kin forever!" Ardyn rushed at her and Aranea took to the skies, moving swiftly toward another part of the city and away from the altar. She had succeeded in her aim to get Ardyn away from the altar entirely and immersed in a personal battle with herself.

She didn't bother to respond to his threat and instead flew forward with a hard series of thrusts along the ground. Ardyn warped to another side of the square and launched a barrage of his armiger in her direction. City walls were turned to rubbled in his rage and Aranea fought hard to dodge and block the incoming onslaught. Another blade caught her left side and she groaned in pain as blood dripped onto the floor. She touched the wound with the lance and hissed as Gae-bolg cauterized the wound shut.

"You are going to die, but before you do know that I will have the Ring of the Lucii and I will kill the Oracle." Ardyn smirked at her, his yellow and black eyes gleaming with evil glee.

"You still have to get through me, Ardyn. And I don't die easily."

Aranea waited for Ardyn to attack. He warped directly at her and Aranea leaped out of the way just in time. She screamed in fury and the blood of the dragon responded, powering up her jump attack. She leapt into the air and came crashing down in a devastating blow directly against Ardyn, who stumbled backwards. Aranea rushed past him again and struck with a heavy thrust from his flank, an attack designed to disable an enemy. She quickly moved to disembowel Ardyn, who barely moved out of the way to avoid a severe injury.

Ardyn stabbed at her with his own lance from the armiger and Aranea took the shot in the left shoulder. Ardyn drove forward with a katana next and the sword strike went through her lower left abdomen. Aranea stumbled forward onto the blade.  Ardyn grabbed her hair and yanked her head backwards.  He leaned close and moaned in pleasure into her ear as he drove the Katana of the Warrior into her body, burying it up to the hilt before slowly twisting and drawing it out through her left side.  She let out a high-pitched scream of pure agony and fell to her knees. Ardyn grabbed her by the neck and lifted her entire body. Aranea could feel herself choking from his vice-like grip. He ruthlessly drove his fist as hard as he could into her side where she was wounded five times in quick succession. Aranea almost blacked out from the pain, unable to scream.  He threw her across the square and she landed awkwardly, struggling to catch her breath.

"Now you die, dragon-kin..." Ardyn warped to her side again and delivered an overhand stroke designed to cleave her in half. Aranea raised Gae-bolg with her remaining strength and deflected the blow to the side harmlessly. She breathed heavily.

"You underestimate the power of the red dragonflight, Ardyn Izunia... or should I say Ardyn Lucis Caelum? Yes. I know all about you. Midgardsormr revealed to me your true nature. I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my family and my people."

She held Gae-bolg aloft and twin flames shot out of the tip of the lance, spiraling outward and taking on the shape of a pair of intertwined dragons. The flames consumed her and when she stepped out, her entire being was aflame. The red eyes on her helm burned with the dragons fire and her blood raged in her veins. Flames arced out of her back forming a pair of wings.

"You shall never get your hands on Luna or the Ring of the Lucii. The King of Light is finishing his ritual now and when he comes into power, he will destroy you. But first, you shall burn!"

Aranea rushed forward, the fire of Midgardsormr powering her every move. Again she began a flurry of attacks on the ground, relentlessly pushing Ardyn back across the large square. He kept pace with her at first, but the fire raging around her dulled his attacks as soon as they were launched. Aranea jumped into the air and landed behind Ardyn to deliver a heavy wheeling thrust at his flank. Ardyn growled angrily and lashed out with the armiger again. Aranea executed a jump backward to avoid the armiger attack and fended off the weapons. He flung everything he had at her and finally struck her with a sharp blow with the Axe of the Conqueror.  The axe struck her right breast, leaving a deep gash running diagonally toward the center of her chest.

Aranea coughed and blood flew out of her mouth. Ardyn closed in for another killing stroke, but Aranea forced herself to her feet and activated her life-surge ability. She leaped into the air and came crashing down with a vicious spine-shattering dive and Gae-bolg screamed as it flew directly into Ardyn. Ardyn fell to his knees, panting heavily. His skin was burned away from the dragon's fire and his body oozed black demon blood.

"Well then. I know when to call it a day. You might have won this round, dragon-kin. But whatever has become of your prized treasure?" Ardyn laughed and vanished.

Aranea stood slowly, her blood ebbing onto the floor and saw in her mind's eye more MT landing on the stairs of the altar. Luna had called upon the weapons of the Kings for Noctis and the battle was nearing its end. Aranea cursed loudly and gathered her remaining strength to take to the skies in a final attack. Her jump took her back across the square and over the stairs to the altar. Gae-bolg screamed in fury as she crashed again into the middle of the MT's. The fire from the lance surged angrily in a wide radius, burning the MT to the ground.

The ritual had ended.

Aranea released Gae-bolg, completely spent. Her dragon-scale armor was wet with blood and she collapsed at the foot of the altar. Unlike before, the image of her normal Imperial armor did not reappear. Her vision swam as blackness closed in. A vision flashed in her mind of Luna bleeding on the Throne of the Tidemother, dead at the hands of Ardyn. The sky darkened overhead and Ardyn’s face showed pure pleasure as he stomped on the lifeless form of the Oracle before bending and taking the Ring of the Lucii from her dead fingers.

~I follow my calling.  I will not halt my steps for anything else.~  Luna’s voice echoed in her mind.

"Luna!?" Aranea’s eyes flew open and she rolled over painfully looking for the Oracle. Blood continued to ebb out of her multiple wounds. Her ribs were broken on the side where Ardyn had driven his fist into the puncture wound from his sword. She crawled painfully toward where she last saw the Oracle, leaving a thick trail of blood behind her.  With the dragon’s power gone, her muscles along her left flank wouldn’t function properly and the large gash in her chest pulled and tore with every move.

Lunafreya looked in horror at Aranea as she bled out onto the stones of the altar. She rushed over and placed her hands along Aranea's head, one hand on each side of the draconic helm. A golden light surrounded her as she tried to heal and close the gaping wounds, but they did not respond to her touch.

"Save your strength, Princess..." Aranea said weakly.

"No!" Luna cried in desperation.

As she bent over Aranea's form, Ignis came up the stairs. He quickly knelt by Aranea and Luna and removed her hands, "Lunafreya... dragon-kin are immune to most magic, curatives included."

Aranea looked up at Ignis, “It feels cold out here...”  She reached up to him and Ignis caught her hand.  He opened the visor and looked into her golden dragon eyes.

”Hang in there, Aranea.  We are going to get you somewhere safe and dry.”  Ignis cursed as the skies opened, dumping a steady freezing rain onto them all.

Noctis landed on the altar, exhausted from his fight with Leviathan, but he had prevailed in the end. He stumbled toward Luna and stopped when he saw Aranea's injuries.  “Is this Ardyn’s work?”

Ignis looked up at Noctis, "Luna, help Noct. I'll get Aranea to safety. We have to hope that her body heals itself. Dragon-kin are supposed to be able to heal wounds themselves that normal people would... die from."

Noctis kneeled next to Aranea, “Hey! Are you gonna be ok?” He gently touches the deep wound on her left side, alarmed by the amount of blood and notices the bruising on her side that came from a blunt hit, but notices the wound is already closing on its own.

”Little worse for wear, Highness.” Aranea coughs and blood seeps out of her wounds. She looks at Luna and then down at her abdomen, “At least the Oracle and the little one are ok...” Aranea whimpered quietly, the pain registered clear on her face and in her eyes. Aranea cloosed her eyes, feeling so tired.

Noctis looks at Ignis and nods. He’s weakened from his fight. “Thanks, Commodore. You did the impossible. Just rest, please.” He stands up, his legs shaking and is immediately supported by Luna. He has so many questions that will need to wait for later.

Ignis scooped Aranea into his arms and carried her toward the hotel. Aranea turned and leaned into Ignis’ chest and cried softly as the pain came crashing down.  Ignis took that as a good sign- tears meant she could at least feel the pain and wasn’t dying.  He ran into Gladio and Prompto who were sprinting toward the altar with Weskham, an old associate of King Regis. Gladio made his way to help with Noctis while Prompto and Weskham helped bring Aranea to a waiting hotel room.


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis hurries to the hotel in Altissia bearing Aranea in his arms.

Ignis hurried to the hotel in Altissia as fast as he dared, afraid that the dragoon in his arms was truly dying. She had cried softly from her injuries when they left the Throne of the Tidemother. Now, 20 minutes later and nearing their destination, Aranea had gone silent. Her breathing was labored and every time she exhaled, her breath came out in a pained whisper. She stayed leaning against Ignis’ chest.

Prompto was running behind him, carrying the Gae-bolg which had not changed its appearance as it usually did when it was not in use. Aranea wore the dragon-scale armor of the Crimson Dragoon and it was soaked with rain and blood.

Ignis’ arms were tiring, but he grimly pressed on, not daring to stop to wait for Gladio and not daring to try and transfer her to Prompto or Weskham. He had removed her helmet and the large shoulder plates and had given those to Weskham. Aranea shivered in the downpour.

“It hurts so much...” she whispered to no one in particular.

“There, there... we’ve almost arrived.” Ignis tried to soothe her.

Finally they were at the hotel. He moved inside quickly and encountered Camelia Claustra, first secretary of the Accordo Protectorate. She was waiting at the entrance of the hotel and her expression was furious as she strode forward to face Ignis.

“You violated our agreement! How dare you return...” she stopped yelling as Ignis came into the light and she saw the burden he carried.

“Madame Secretary, we fulfilled our end of the bargain. We only sought to begin early so as to throw off the Empire and give Noctis and the Hydraen the best chance at forging the contract.” He stopped mid-sentence, his arms beginning to give out their strength, “Please... she’s dying.”

Ignis looked down at Aranea in his arms. Her breathing was shallow and raspy. She trembled with the cold.

Claustra’s face softened, “You love her...” She spoke sharply to the staff, “Give them my guest penthouse suites and get Doctor Schad here at once!”

Ignis looked up at her gratefully and nodded mutely, at a loss for words from exhaustion of the day. Aranea cried softly in his arms again and he cradled her to him as they moved quickly to the suites with the hotel attendants.

The hotel attendants laid a heavy curtain over the top of one of the beds and Ignis laid Aranea on top of it as gently as he could. Her blood spilled onto the curtain. Ignis hoped it was less than he remembered at the altar. Weskham entered the room with Doctor Schad who immediately took over and began removing the remaining armor with Ignis’ help. Doctor Schad cut through the lining under the armor to examine the wounds. Ignis covered her with blankets over across her shoulders and waist, concerned for her modesty.

“What caused these wounds?” Doctor Schad stared in disbelief at the cauterized scar on her side and the deep sword wound on her left. The large gash on her right breast looked like she had been hacked at with an axe.

“She fought Chancellor Izunia of Nifleheim to protect Lady Lunafreya the Oracle,” Ignis said.

“He did all this to her? I never liked the Chancellor and now I like him less.” Schad pointed at her left side where the sword had run her through and noted the heavy bruising on the side, “See that? A sword went in there, but judging by the heavy bruising and the broken ribs, he hit her a second time. He didn’t pull any punches, that’s for sure.”

Schad looked at her neck and noted the finger outlines of a hand that formed a deep black and red bruise. Then he examined her right breast where the axe had sunk into her flesh. As he examined the wounds, he noted with astonishment that the wounds were closing themselves incrementally.

“She’s the last of the dragon-kin,” Ignis said almost absently. Dr. Schad looked at him, the term clearly lost on his limited view of the world from Altissia.

“We need to clean and dress these wounds and get them wrapped.” Dr. Schad sent the hotel attendants for a basin of water and some supplies from his office to wrap and dress the wounds.

Ignis poured a vial filled with an herbal ointment into the hot water. He had read not long ago of the root named dragonswort, a mildly sweet smelling root that had healing properties specifically for the dragon-kin. He had gone to great trouble to obtain some after her incident in Gralea and had the root distilled and added to an ointment. He dipped a clean cloth from the hotel into the hot infusion and then gently dabbed at the wounds on her left side. The sword had gone in vertically but had been removed horizontally, leaving a severe slash that opened her side completely. Ignis grimly spread the wound open a bit and wrung the cloth out, getting some of the infusion into the wound before wiping the blood away. Aranea opened her eyes. They were grey now and filled with pain as she looked over at Ignis.

"I know this hurts, Aranea... but we must get these wounds clean and bandaged since curatives don't work on you." Ignis gently wipes the edges of the wound, noting that the bruise in her side looks like it was made by Ardyn's fist. Ignis looked up at the bruises around her neck and made the connection with how the bruising occurred. He felt angry, but calmed himself and went back to cleaning the wound. Once he had gone over the wound a couple of times, he examined it to see how much it was still bleeding. It was slower, but still needed to be bandaged. He taped a bandage over the wound with medical tape and turned his attention to her right breast where the axe had struck.

This wound was a deep, straight line that started near the top of her breast and cleaved down the curve on the left side toward the center of her chest. Ignis dipped the cloth in the infusion again and wrung it out on over the wound, letting the liquid seep into the long cut. He taped a large bandage here and then helped her to sit up. With the doctor supporting her, Ignis wrapped the bandages with long strips of gauze, taping them off in the back.

After treating her wounds, Ignis lifted her body and the curtain underneath her was removed and the bedding changed. Ignis gently laid her back into the sheets this time and covered her with heavy blankets.

“She needs to stay warm, but if she gets a fever, send for me immediately. Can you change her dressings or would you like me to return?”

“I can change them for her,” Ignis said confidently.

Dr. Schad left the penthouse suite and closed the door behind him. Ignis sat by the bed and watched her. Aranea closed her eyes without saying a word. She shivered with cold under the heavy blankets and stirred uncomfortably in her sleep. Ignis was tired himself. He admitted to himself that he was more than a little interested in Aranea, not just because she was dragon-kin, but because she was beautiful. She might be nearly as strong as Gladio as the Crimson Dragoon, but she had a cheeky side to her that enjoyed messing with his orderly self. He watched her shiver even under the covers and made up his mind.

Ignis smiled tiredly and left to clean himself up in the bathroom. He removed his blood-stained clothes and took a quick bath before heading out to the bedroom in just his underwear. Quietly he pulled the covers back and climbed into the bed with her. He didn’t want to wake her up and didn’t want to aggravate her wounds. She was still cold and she absently moved closer to him to gain some warmth.

Ignis sighed with relief as her breathing slowed and she seemed to fall into restful sleep. He quickly drifted off himself and was unaware when an hour later Gladio opened the door quietly to check on Aranea and then closed the door after seeing them in bed together.


	8. Dragonswort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis helps Aranea on the road to recovery, thinking to use an infusion of dragonswort. He had read that the distilled root of dragonswort found only in the immediately snowy lands on the outside of the fire lands and the Ring of Fire would help dragon-kin to heal. The notes made no mention that dragonswort also makes dragon-kin horny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my Highspecs. I really wanted to include some into this work overall, but it needs some work still.

Aranea woke up at 3am, infused with a sense of lazy warmth. She opened her eyes and was not surprised to see that Ignis was in the bed with her. He was laying behind her, one arm slung around her waist protectively. She forgot that she was injured until she tried to move and winced in pain. She looked down at the heavy bandages around her middle.

Ignis woke up when he felt her moving. He propped himself up on one elbow and and planted a gentle kiss on her shoulder, “How are you feeling?”

“I feel like I got hit by a train, to be honest,” Aranea responded. She turned her head and met his gaze. He leaned forward and she kissed his lips softly.

Ignis’ hand moved to gingerly touch the bandage that covered her right breast where the axe had cut into her. He carefully examined the gauze pad under the wrapping. Aranea flinched slightly as he lifted the bandage wrapping away.

“Still tender I see,” Ignis noted. “Well it appears your body is healing rapidly, as it should for a dragon.”

He lowered the wrapping and his hand gently brushed the nipple on her right breast as he moved it away. He kissed the uninjured side of her breast and his lips trailed over to the nipple. He licked it briefly.

Aranea’s breath caught in her throat, “Is this a new kind of therapy? Because I like it.”

“Doctor’s orders- complete bed rest.” Ignis whispered into her ear before kissing her lips again. Aranea returned the kiss but moaned in pain when she tried to twist her body too far.

“We should take a look at the bandages on the other side too. Roll over, if you please.”

Aranea obediently rolled onto her back then shifted onto her right side to expose her left flank. The injury on this side was far worse, but somehow it felt better laying on it than not. Ignis gently lifted the bandage and she hissed in pain. In her mind flashed the image of Ardyn’s face as he slammed the sword into her body up to the hilt before yanking it out sideways. She shuddered at the memory- he had worn the same look on his face as a man who was being pleasured.

“Aranea?” Ignis looked at her face, concerned.

“It’s nothing...” she started to say. She sighed when Ignis gave her a withering look, “Ok. I just remembered Ardyn’s face when he... when he ran me through is all. He... he enjoyed it. He pulled my head back so I could see that he was getting off when he stabbed me. Almost like it was a sexual release for him to cause pain.”

Ignis was silent for a moment, “I’m truly sorry for what he did to you, Aranea.” He ran his hand over her shoulder before laying back down next to her. “Are you hungry?”

Aranea shook her head, instead feeling cold again remembering the look of joy on Ardyn’s face as he did his best to kill her.

“Then you should try and sleep some more,” Ignis put his arm around her again and held her close to him, trying to help her shake the bitter cold of her memory.

—-  
It was mid-morning when Aranea next woke. The bed was empty and cold other than herself and something... smelled delicious. Aranea opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbow. She moved slowly still, favoring her torn left side and wincing slightly.

“Good morning.” Ignis was dressed in his usual impeccable suit and his hair was meticulously swept up. “Hungry dragon this morning, are we?”

Aranea looked with undisguised longing at the table in the suite that was loaded with breakfast food and pastries. She struggled to get out of bed. Ignis helped her get up very slowly and put on a long t-shirt that just happened to be his. Aranea would swear she had never, ever seen that shirt anywhere before. Ignis laid a soft robe around her shoulders and escorted her to the table slowly. Every step hurt her side, but she was starving.

She sat down slowly and immediately began loading a plate of food, regardless of the pain. Ignis stood by the window nearest the table, watching in amused silence.

“Did you make all this?” Aranea looked over in between bites after swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

“Guilty as charged,” Ignis pushed off from the window and came to sit next to her. “I am not aware of how much dragons traditionally eat, but I figured you would be hungry this morning.”

Aranea nodded and speared a waffle with her fork, moving it to her plate. Ignis sipped coffee and watched her devour a good third of the cart of food. He made a mental note of what she enjoyed and what she left alone. Unlike a certain prince, she was inclined toward most everything on the cart and opted to leave the vast majority of the pastries that did not have fruit in them alone.

Aranea finally slowed down and looked at Ignis sheepishly. “Guess I was a little hungry.” She raised her arms over her head and stretched, but immediately regretted the movement when it pulled painfully at her left side. “That’s going to be a bother.”

The door opened and a hotel attendant came for the cart of food once Ignis was certain she was finished.

“I’ve also taken the liberty of drawing a hot bath for you, if you are interested.” Ignis suggested.

“You’re saying I stink?” She arched an eyebrow.

“I’m saying it would be a good idea to clean those wounds well. A simple washcloth bath is fine for at first. But a soak would be better.” Ignis paused, “If you would like, I’m inclined to join you.”

“And mess up your perfect hair?” Aranea teased casually as she reached up and pulled a pinch of his hair out of place.

“It can be redone afterwards... or later...” Ignis stood and offered to help her stand.

Aranea sighed, “A hot bath would be nice.”

Ignis helped her out of her chair. A healthy appetite and wanting a hot bath were both good signs that she was well on the mend. Inwardly, he was very relieved to see her making strong steps toward recovering. It was still up in the air how long her recovery would take. There weren’t sufficient records anywhere in the library of Insomnia or the rest of the world on the dragon-kin. He only knew that dragon-kin were reputed to be fast healers and he didn’t know how much of those abilities passed down through the ages to Aranea.

One thing that was clear to Ignis, she had faced off against the Chancellor of Nifleheim and held her ground where others had been simply swept out of the way without so much as a second thought. The blood of the dragon flowed through her veins.

Ignis helped her move slowly to the large bathroom and the luxurious tub in its center. He had already poured the water into the tub, but he turned on the hot water faucet to refresh it. Aranea struggled out of the t-shirt and Ignis removed his own clothing, folding it neatly on the vanity by the sink.

He turned around and found Aranea standing right behind him. She reached up to take his glasses off and set them next to his clothes before reaching out and guiding his hands to her lower back. Ignis caressed her lower back and let his hands drop lower as he leaned over and gently kissed her. Finally he stood up again and moved his hands to the bandage wrappings.

“Let’s get a look at these, shall we?”

Aranea sat down on the stool in the bathroom and was still while he removed the bandages from her torso. She looked down at herself. A red, angry scar sat where the Axe of the Conqueror had landed on her right breast. Her left flank was inflamed and scabbed over. Ignis gently trailed his fingers over the scar on her right breast first, making sure it didn’t show signs of infection before examining her left flank more carefully. The wounds were both closed and healing fast underneath a layer of scabbing and dried blood.

Ignis helped her stand again, then they both stepped over to the bath tub. Aranea got in with help from Ignis and he climbed over the side behind her. Ignis sat down in the hot water and Aranea followed suit, easing herself down into the water until she sat with her back to his front. The water felt refreshing. There was a slight hint of a sweet-smelling herbal infusion to the water.

“What’s that smell? I like it.” She looked up and over her shoulder at Ignis. She inhaled deeply. The scent was intoxicating to her, bringing a smile to her face and eliciting a contented sigh.

“Dragonswort. It comes from a flower that blooms on the border of the firelands where the Ring of Fire is. Rather difficult to obtain, actually. But it’s said to have healing properties for the dragon-kin. And it’s said that the smell of it is attractive to the dragon-kin.”

Ignis used a clean cloth from the hotel to gently wash the wounds with soap as she laid back against him. She turned around slightly in the water, her head tilting slightly upwards until her lips touched his face. He obliged and met her for a kiss that deepened as she opened her mouth. Ignis reciprocated, his tongue entering her mouth and intertwining with hers.

Aranea relaxed in his arms, her wounds feeling numb as the infusion soaked its way into the deep cuts. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and changed from their normal grey/green to the bronze dragon eyes. She looked up at Ignis and smiled, suddenly feeling very playful despite her wounds. Ignis was slightly surprised- the writings about dragonswort had never mentioned any side effects like this.

Aranea turned in the deep tub easily and faced Ignis. She smiled lazily at him and reached down between his legs. Ignis sat up straighter as she began to stroke him slowly under the surface of the water. She sighed happily as he grew hard under her touch. Ignis looked into her dragon eyes and reached for her hips as she continued to stroke his erection until it was so stretched that Ignis ached with desire. Ever mindful of their safety, Ignis reaches for the drawer and Aranea helps him slide a condom over his enlarged cock.

Aranea lifted herself up to her knees and straddled Ignis in the bathtub of hot water. She held onto his hard cock and guided it easily inside of her as she let herself sink down. She leaned forward and slid her hips backward against him, taking his full length inside. Their breathing sped up to match each other as he held onto her hips and rocked her back and forth, sliding his engorged cock forward and backward.

“You are so beautiful, Aranea,” Ignis complimented as he moved his hands from her hips to her breasts, mindful of the cut on her right breast and the wound on her left side. He leaned forward hungrily and took her left breast into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the nipple as she continued to rock her hips against him.

After several minutes of this, Ignis released his tight control of himself and pushed Aranea back against the other side of the tub. She looked slightly startled by the look of pure lust in his eyes, but didn't have time to think too much about it. He maneuvered between her legs and eagerly thrust his swollen cock inside of her again. He leaned over her and grabbed the side of the tub for support as he thrust hard inside. Having temporarily lost control of himself, he pushed hard and the head of his engorged penis slammed against her cervix. Aranea cried out in pleasure as he thrust as hard as he could. She could feel her blood raging in her veins.  Ignis pushed harder yet and sped up his thrusts until finally they found release together. He moaned in pleasure and rested against her, mindful of her wounds.

He is breathing hard as he pulls out of her and disposes of the condom in the trashcan next to the tub. Aranea smiled at him. The hard edges that Ignis wore day in and day out began to wear down. His hair had become slightly messy from the hot water and the hot sex. He looks up and kisses her again. They laid in the water together until it grew slightly cooler.

Ignis got out and toweled off. He turned around to find Aranea with her arms crossed on the edge of the tub watching his naked body move. There was definitely something to this dragonswort infusion that he hadn’t been aware of. He held open a fresh towel for her and helped her step out of the tub. Upon examining her wounds again, the red scar across her right breast had faded and the horrible wound in her left side was just a red slash. It had reduced in size considerably.

Ignis nodded satisfactorily, “It appears the bath helped.”

Aranea wrapped the towel around herself while Ignis drained the tub and together they went into the bedroom. Aranea felt relaxed and tired so she laid down in the bed after removing her towel. Ignis decided to take the day off and join her. Noctis would have to fend for himself for a bit.

Again he wrapped one arm protectively across her waist as she fell asleep. He gently ran his fingers over her smooth skin and slowly nodded off to sleep with her.


	9. Cartanica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group makes ready to leave for Cartanica. Ignis is forced to take stock on their situation with a dragoon in the group.

Ignis couldn't sleep through the night. The moon sat low in the sky in the pre-dawn hours when he got up and went downstairs in the hotel for a cup of coffee and a bit to eat. He stood by the window in the restaurant facing the water, lost in thought.

He sipped the hot coffee, feeling caught in a moral dilemma. When Aranea had come to them for help in Old Lestallum and had shown herself to be dragon-kin, he immediately had known their obligation was to destroy her according to the law. But he had kept this from Noctis and the others and instead had nursed her back to health.

Ignis faced the reality that he was deeply in love with her, he wanted to be with her as long as he could and now he was faced with the trial of figuring out how to keep her from going insane as the other dragoon-knights before her had done. It was still early in her development as a dragoon and Ignis hoped this meant that there was plenty of time to figure things out. It had turned out surprisingly that rather than being bound to Luna as was previously thought, she was bound to the unborn child that Luna carried. That presented a whole new line of concern and worry, but that was for further down the road; pending of course upon whether they made it that far.

But what if there wasn't enough time? They were to leave for Cartanica today, a location where another royal tomb had been discovered. Ignis sighed heavily. He would find a way- he was a very capable man in that regard.

Noctis came downstairs, unable to sleep and saw Ignis in the restaurant lost in thought. It wasn't terribly uncommon to see his friend this way, but... he looked worried. Noctis walked over and touched his friend on the shoulder, startling him.

"Hey Specs, everything alright?"

Ignis looked at Noctis. The Prince needed to know about Aranea before they went any further on this journey. For now, she was a potential liability in a fight.

"Noct, let's get some coffee."

"You already have coffee, Specs... what's bothering you?" Noctis went and poured himself a cup and sat down. Ignis followed him to a table and sighed.

"It's about Aranea."

"The fact that you guys got busy last night? I know, I could hear you. I think most of the hotel could hear you."

Ignis blushed, "No. It's not that."

"What's on your mind?"

"I told you and Aranea that long ago there was a dragoon-knight that came to Insomnia. It's how we have information about the dragon-kin at all. He was very forthcoming about their race and his lineage." Ignis pauses before going on.

"Noct, she asked me about what happened to that dragoon some time ago. I told her that there weren't any records regarding the later years," Ignis swallows some coffee, "but I lied. We have extensive records about that dragoon-knight. He was bonded to the Queen of Lucis at that time and became her sworn protector. But in the years to come, he succumbed to the will of the dragon and went insane. His power spiraled out of control. The Queen came to her knight, begging him to regain himself. He killed her. The King, when he found out what happened, sought out the dragoon-knight and subdued him with the power of the Ring, entrapping his power in the light of the crystal. Then he ran him through with his katana. The King took off his head and had him burned. Afterwards, he was a different ruler, no longer benevolent as he had been. He isolated himself from others and was a changed man after his Queen was taken from him. He did leave a royal decree: that all dragon-kin were to be put to the sword immediately if they were discovered. That law stands til this day, Noct."

Noct listens, his expression becoming more serious as the story continues, "So this is why you saved her in Old Lestallum and decided to fuck her instead?"

Ignis flinched, he probably deserved that.

"We've already got enough issues. Is there a way to prevent her from losing it?" Noctis asked.

"I don't know. There are records in other nations of dragoon-knights as well maybe. The only one I've come across with Biggs' help is regarding a dragoon-knight in Solheim. He also went mad and was executed."

"That's not encouraging, Ignis," Noctis said. He looked over at the Advisor, "In all the years I've known you, you've never made an irrational decision like this. You must really love her. Just make sure that doesn't come back to burn us all."

"I'm trying to find a way to help her. If she goes insane, I take full responsibility... and I will end her myself." Ignis swallowed hard as he said that last.

Noctis laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, "We'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't come to that. But she deserves to know, as well."

"Biggs already told her, I believe," Ignis sighs again, "Why do affairs of the heart always have to be so damned complicated?"

"And yours more than most." Noctis noted.

\---  
The train ride to Cartanica was thankfully uneventful. Aranea stepped off the train into the bright sunlight of the desert terrain and smiled at the warmth. She greatly preferred being warm these days. She had been feeling a sense of unease all morning since the train had drawn closer to Cartanica and the sun was a welcome friend. She wished there were time to just sun herself and relax, but they had things to do.

As the others stepped onto the platform, their attention was drawn to a tall, older man who apparently had been waiting for them. She looked closer- it was none other than Cor the Immortal. She had heard stories and legends about the man during her time in the Empire. She went over to Ignis and frowned as she came within hearing range of an argument.

“I had heard you were running around with a Dragon-kin,” Cor said in disgust. As Aranea drew near, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her heart, “I didn’t want to believe it was true, but here you are.”

Noctis pushed the sword down and stood between Cor and Aranea, “Put it away- she’s not a threat.”

“All Dragon-kin are a threat,” Cor looked at Noctis. He lowered his sword, “I hope you know what you’re doing. You can’t afford to have distractions. First I find out Luna is pregnant and now I find you have an untamed beast traveling with you. Dragon-kin are killers with nothing but darkness in them. And when they give into it ultimately they’re worse than daemons.”

“Marshall, I...” Ignis began before cutting short.

Cor leveled his gaze at Ignis, “You had something to say?”

Ignis drew himself up and met the Marshall’s gaze, “I am in love with her, and she is not some monster like everyone believes her to be. I am going to find a way to keep her sane.”

Cor looked at Ignis for a moment like he was joking, then scoffed. “I always had you pinned as the responsible one, Ignis.”

Cor cast his gaze on Aranea, “Former Imperial Rat, turns out to be dragon-kin and current lover of the Lucian Advisor to the throne. Fine. Go to the royal tomb in the mines. If the King there grants you his sword, then so be it.” Cor stalked off.

“First time I’ve ever seen the Marshal like that.” Noctis said.

“You mean like a total ass?” Gladio frowned.

Ignis, ever practical, went to the small stalls of wares at the end of the platform and purchased some curatives and browsed the weapons available. Seeing none that might improve upon their inventory already, he went instead for some food supplies. He insisted that the group rest for the afternoon and then hit the mines the following morning.

The sun was high in the sky when he and Aranea brought their belongings to the rail car bunks that they would share together.

"How do you feel today?" Ignis inquired.

"Pretty good. No madness yet." She answered absently.

"Aranea, that's not really something to joke about."

"I know, handsome. I'm just worried about it like everyone else."

Ignis turned around in the tight living quarters and found himself right in front of Aranea. She stood on her tiptoes and reached up for a kiss. He happily obliged. They broke away momentarily, looking into each other's eyes. They renewed the kiss and let it deepen, their tongues hungrily intertwining in her mouth.

Ignis took hold of her arms and backed her into the wall where the window shade was shut. He pinned her there and gazed down at her, his lust rising in his eyes and in a growing bulge in his pants. He ached to feel her on the inside and reached up her shirt as she reached for the buttons on his.

His hands grazed her nipples and she moaned softly in response. She finished the last button and his shirt hung open in the front. He undid the buttons on his cuffs and she helped him slide out of the shirt. Ignis let it fall to the floor as he stepped forward again and pulled her shirt off and fingered her breasts under her bra before reaching behind to unfasten it. Her clothes fell to the floor and he reached down her pants.

Aranea's hands caressed his muscled chest as he reached between her legs and found her already moist and inviting. She whimpered as his middle finger dipped into her wet vagina then came out to stimulate her throbbing clitoris. Her breath sped up and she moaned louder. He put his hand over her mouth to indicate she should be quiet. She smiled underneath his hand and nodded. He kept his hand over her mouth and continued to stimulate her, enjoying watching her body writhe in pleasure. She whimpered under his hand as he rubbed her harder and faster, dipping his middle finger into her wet vagina before returning to stimulate her even harder. Her body twitched with anticipation, but she didn't move to get away. Finally he felt her hips spasm as she had an orgasm in her pants. He reached further between her legs and found her soaking wet.

He pulled his hand out of her pants and she reached for it, licking her wetness off of his fingers one at a time. The sight of that almost made Ignis come unhinged. He undid his trousers and stepped out of them after taking off his shoes. She did the same and they stood facing each other naked.

Slowly she went to her knees and reached for his cock. She took it into her mouth and began to suck on it while her fingers stimulated his testicles. It quickly turned hard and she looked up as she took the length of it into her mouth. Ignis shuddered as the head dove into her tight throat and he grabbed her hair to hold her position for a few seconds. Ignis gave in to his more carnal desires and pumped his hard dick in and out of her throat a few times before releasing her. Aranea paused and slid a condom over his erect penis.

Aranea stood up and put one foot on one of the lower bunks, spreading herself lewdly before him. He stepped forward and took her propped up leg and slung it over his arm before pressing her against the wall again. His erection was painfully hard and his balls felt tighter than before as he pushed his length into her. He moaned as it slid deep into her and hit home against her cervix.

Ignis' breath sped up to match hers as he began to thrust eagerly into her, pushing her against the wall. His taller frame took her off her feet as he pumped himself hard into her. Aranea closed her eyes and moaned loudly every time he drove his thick cock into her. Ignis kissed her hard on the lips to stifle her moaning as he urgently slammed himself into her. Finally, when he couldn't stand the tightness in his balls any longer, he pushed up one more time, taking her off her feet and let himself go. Aranea inhaled sharply when she felt his cock pulsating inside of her. She kept her arms around his neck for balance. Ignis thrust a few more times before letting her down.

They turned sharply as someone cleared their throat in the doorway. Gladio's big frame blocked out the light as he chuckled and closed the door on them.

Aranea giggled, then laughed, "You left the door open?"

"Careless of me." Ignis admitted. He removed the condom and disposed of it then guided her over to one of the bunks and they laid down in the darkness together.

"I will find a way to keep you by my side, Aranea." Ignis said in the dark. His breathing slowed and he kissed her forehead. "I won't lose you to the darkness."

"I hope we get the chance. I'll fight it as long as I can."

The late afternoon sun began to sink lower in the sky toward dusk as they rested in each others' arms, enjoying their time together for as long as they could.

—-  
It was dark, dank, and dreary in the mines. There was a lot of muddy water and large murky, algae-ridden ponds. Most of the larger ponds were teeming with sahagin. They had been sludging through the cold, wet dark for hours. Old machinery in the mines was rusted over and reluctant to move without several trips to the surrounding generators and finally they were within reach of the tomb.

Aranea had been smelling something rotting since they entered the mines and that smell was much more potent down here. This was where whatever it was had its lair. Aranea was intrigued by the Royal Tombs that Noctis and his retinue had been searching for but this was her first time visiting one. She felt nervous for reasons she couldn’t identify.

Her thoughts were interrupted when they got to the tomb and saw giant egg sacs lining the entrance. A loud roar came from behind them and a Malboro appeared out of the darkness of the large cave they were in.

At first their attacks were ineffective, causing minimal damage. Ignis regrouped everyone in the opposite end of the cave away from the egg sacs. After carefully observing the monster’s behavior, he had thrown a firaga flask into its mouth. The monster had virtually blown up, making the rest of the battle decisive in their favor.

Noctis threw a firaga flask at the egg sacs, incinerating them before the doorway to the tomb was cleared. He unlocked the door and stepped inside followed immediately by Ignis and herself. Gladio and Prompto stood just outside the door.

Aranea watched as Noctis put his hand over the large katana resting upon the sarcophagus. Nothing happened.

“Um... hello. I kind of need your power.” Noctis said to no one in particular.

He held his hand over it a second time and on the third, he touched the sword. Light began to swirl out of the sarcophagus.

“This... is new.” The door to the tomb slammed shut, locking Gladio and Prompto outside. Noctis went to the door and banged on it. It held shut.

The light swirled like smoke in the darkness of the tomb and coalesced into the shape of a tall man wearing ancient Lucian armor. The giant spirit looked at Noctis.

“Blood of my line, why have you defiled my tomb with the presence of a monster?” The former King of Lucis asked in a dreadful tone.

He raised his left hand and light shot out of it. The light was crystalline like the light of the Crystal and it formed five tendrils of living light that flew toward Aranea. Two grabbed both of her arms, two grabbed both of her legs and the fifth wrapped around her waist.

Aranea was lifted into the air before the King.

“Dragon-kin,” The former King intoned, “You wear the cursed armor of the dark dragon Midgardsormr. The same armor of the dragoon-knight that bonded to my Queen and killed her.”

“Wait, your Majesty!” Ignis looked up at the spectral figure, “Noct, talk to him!” His eyes moved to Aranea.

“Hey, she’s not the same as the one that killed your Queen,” Noct pleaded with the ancient King, “She is different.” He looked at the King and stood directly in front of him.

“All Dragon-kin go mad, break their oath-bond, and become daemonic killers.”

The tendrils of light wrapped around her arms and legs began to pull. Aranea shrieked in pain and tearing sounds could be heard as they slowly began to rip her limbs off. Aranea’s muscles began to tear along with the ligaments. Ignis watched her in pain and his desperation rose. The King held his other hand over the Sword of the Warrior and it flew into his hand. The King held the point directly at Aranea’s neck, preparing to sever her head.

“Please! Stop! She is not the same,” Noctis shouted at the King in desperation. “She is bonded to my unborn child.”

The spectral figure looked at Aranea closely, “An Oracle holds her bond.” The figure turned to Ignis, “But her heart is bound to you. Tell me, young advisor, why should I suffer the dragon-kin to live?”

Aranea screamed again as the tearing continued. Her left arm dislocated as the tendrils continued to pull her apart very slowly.

“Great King, please I beg of you. Yes her heart is bound to mine and mine to hers... I swear to find a way to quell the dragon’s wrath and if she goes insane, I will be the one to end her life with my own hands. Please. The dragoon who killed your beloved Queen knew no such bonds.” Ignis pleaded with the King.

The King seemed to consider his words, “In time we shall see if you have chosen folly, blood of mine. The world grows darker and night hastens. Take therefore my sword that you may be ready to face the darkness.”

The Katana of the Warrior shimmered into crystalline light and joined Noctis’ armiger. The tendrils holding Aranea vanished, dropping her to the floor.

The ancient King’s voice is heard like a soft whisper in Ignis’ mind, “Take care young advisor to fulfill your duty if the time comes when the dragon bends her to his dark will.”

Ignis ran to her side as the tomb doors opened. Aranea opened her eyes and tried to stand only to discover the bands holding her leg muscles to her hips had been painfully stretched and wouldn’t function properly. Ignis was beside himself.

“My shoulder...” Aranea looked up at Ignis as she lay on her right side. Her left shoulder was visibly dislocated.

“This will probably hurt.” Ignis held her arm and rotated it outward slowly. Aranea closed her eyes and screamed as the muscles rotated and pushed the head of her arm bone back into the socket as her arm was turned. “Try and hold your arm still.”

“Gladio, please help me support her. We need to get her back to the surface quickly.” Ignis was seriously shaken.

Gladio looked at him and simply picked her up gently. “Let’s go.”

The way back to the top was a strenuous climb. Ignis thanked the Six that their path was unobstructed by creatures, but worried when the sun set and smaller daemons began to appear. He, Noctis, and Prompto fought them off ruthlessly while Gladio continued to move with the injured Aranea in his arms.

Forward movement to the elevator slowed as they fought off daemons and climbed and it wasn’t long before the four were totally exhausted. Finally they reached the elevator and began the ascent out of the mines. They were tired and in need of a bath. No one spoke on the ride back up. Aranea stayed in Gladio’s arms. Ignis had to hand it to Gladio. Not once had he set her down to rest and his face was grimly set now with determination to make it to the top and get her help.

The door of the elevator opened at the top and they stepped out to find Cor standing in their way. He blocked their path to the train platform. He looked over the four and then his eyes stopped on Aranea, who was clearly in pain and he seemed surprised she was alive.

“Did you get what you came for, Highness?” He asked Noctis.

Noctis responded with a curt nod. “We need to get her some help.”

“She survived the King’s wrath. I’ll say nothing more.” Cor moved out of the way.

“Marshall, did you know that the King would attack her in the tomb?” Ignis asked. He felt his anger rising.

“I had suspicions.”

“And you said nothing before we left,” Ignis’ voice was low and was punctuated with barely concealed rage.

“Why would I do that? I don’t want Noctis or anyone else to fall to her hands when she loses her sanity.” Cor responded coldly.

Ignis clenched his fists as he walked past.

“My allegiance is to the Crown; the same place yours should be. Consider yourself warned, Ignis.” The Marshall called after him. Ignis paused shook his head and forced himself to continue forward. He had never in his life wanted so badly to turn around and hit someone before.

Noctis walked past the Marshall, “You’re an asshole, you know that? Aranea doesn’t deserve your judgement based off what someone a long time ago did. Ignis practically raised me; his loyalty will never be questioned by me. I know that he’ll continue to make the right decisions when they’re needed. I’m starting to question your judgement, though.”

Prompto moved past without comment and Gladio glared at the Marshall as he passed him, holding Aranea in his arms.

Ignis’ thoughts were clouded with rage when they returned to their lodgings for the night. He had never had his loyalty called into question before. More importantly, he couldn’t get past the thought that the Marshall had allowed them to go into the tombs hoping that the King would kill Aranea.

A light knock was heard at the door. Ignis slid the door open as quietly as he could. Noctis stood in the hallway. Ignis glanced back at Aranea, who was sleeping fitfully in the bed.

“How is she, Specs?”

“We will know more in the morning,” Ignis responded. “Dragon-kin heal a great deal faster than the normal person. One of the few blessings of being chosen by the dragon I suppose.”

“Iggy, the Marshall was way out of line when he called your allegiance into question. You know that, right? I don’t doubt for a second that you’ve got my back no matter what the situation is. I... just wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you, Noct.” Ignis sighed, “I know that you don’t question where my allegiance lies. Nonetheless it hurt when the Marshall said it. I’ve looked up to that man since I was a boy with a mixture of respect and fear. When he said that... it just hurt.”

“Ah, old men are set in their ways. I wouldn’t let it get to you.” Noctis smiled and headed for his own bed.

Ignis closed the door quietly and sat at the edge of the bunk where Aranea was sleeping. He woke her gently and removed the wrap holding a large ice pack to her shoulder.

“Try and get some sleep,” he instructed her gently. He moved some stray hair out of her face and gently kissed her forehead.

Aranea smiled at him tiredly and was almost instantly asleep again.

 


End file.
